Music, blindingly GREAT music.

Hot Leg Uses Protection

I love the first Darkness album, though I recognize you may not. But either way, it’s been hard not to feel a little embarrassed for Justin Hawkins, who quit the band as a way of maintaining his sobriety, launched a number of ill-conceived musical flops (solo album, World Cup song, failed Eurovision entry), and is now all-but-forgotten in America. Which is why you might approach his new project, Hot Leg, with some trepidation. Fear not! Or, at least, only fear for 1:17 of the song “Trojan Guitar,” at which point a ridiculous but wholly appropriate voice snottily parodies Britpop. After a long solo, it goes all-acoustic, with Hawkins deploying every register of his voice, and when the band crashes back in, well, it got me. The breadth here is wider than mere glam-metal, and though that should be horrifying, it seems to work. [YouTube]